Red Cross organises against child slavery
17 April 2001

Child slavery in West Africa will be on the agenda at a Red Cross summit to be held in Dakar, Senegal next week following the saga of the suspect slave ship which has drawn international attention to the issue of child trafficking in the region.

"If anything, we need to encourage and support the efforts of our member National Societies to do all they can to end this outrage against humanity. Enterprises which benefit from child labour should be named and shamed," Mr. Didier Cherpitel, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said today.

The Benin Red Cross had 40 first aid personnel on stand-by for the arrival of the cargo vessel Etireno when it finally docked in Cotonou earlier today. The Red Cross provided children on board with food and emergency care while five were brought to hospital.

Mr. Gabriel Achade, the Secretary General of the Benin Red Cross, said the Red Cross has set up special committees in some 100 villages across the country to educate parents on the dire consequences of selling their children into forced labour. "These committees are especially active in the villages most at risk. They bring help to all children in difficult situations," he said.

Mr. Bekele Geleta, Head of the International Federation's Africa Department, said 16 National Red Cross Societies from the region would be joined by representatives of partner Red Cross Societies to discuss support for Red Cross programmes in the region next week.

Next week's meeting will consider further steps that can be taken by Red Cross staff and volunteers to combat the traffic in children such as a proposal to set up teams to monitor the main ports and to expand dissemination of information about child labour and trafficking.

For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact:

Denis McClean, Head of Media Service,
Tel.: +41 22 730 4428/ + 41 79 217 3357
Marie-Francoise Borel, Information Officer
Tel.: +41 22 730 4346/ + 41 79 217 3345

The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.